Several procedures have been developed for facelifts. The most common procedure, known as a standard facelift procedure, can involve making an incision along the hairline beginning at the temple, down and around the ear, and along the hairline ending at the back of the neck; elevating (or separating) the skin from the underlying tissue; tightening the underlying tissue with sutures; optionally, removing excess tissue and/or fat; redraping the skin over the tightened underlying tissue; and resecting (or excising) any excess redraped skin. Concerns with the standard procedure have been that it elevates a great deal of skin, which can potentially lead to nerve damage, skin loss or death, hematoma, infection, or nerve paralysis, that it takes about 4 to 6 weeks for swelling to go down, which can limit the activities of the patient, and that it takes up to 4 hours to complete as a full surgical procedure under general aesthesia.
Another procedure known as a short scar facelift procedure was developed to reduce the size of the incision and hence the potential scarring from the standard procedure. The short scar facelift procedure and like variations thereof are sometimes referred to as a minimal incision lift, an S-lift, a Macs-lift, an O-lift, a quick lift, and a lifestyle lift. The short scar facelift procedure can involve making an incision along the hairline beginning at the temple and down the front of the ear ending either mid-ear or at the earlobe; elevating the skin from the underlying tissue at the incision to the zygomatic arch; tightening the underlying tissue with sutures; redraping the elevated skin over the tightened underlying tissue; and optionally, resecting the skin, all done under local aesthesia. This procedure is more limited in the facial areas for which it works compared to the standard procedure. Neither does it generally remove excess tissue and/or fat.
Another procedure known as a thread facelift procedure was developed to produce almost no scarring compared to the standard procedure. The thread facelift procedure can involve making a very small incision, e.g., about 2 cm, at the ear; elevating the skin from the underlying tissue only enough to access the underlying tissue; passing barbed threads, e.g., contour, feather lift, silhouette, and the like, into the underlying tissue; tightening the threads to provide an upward pull on the underlying tissue; and redraping the elevated skin over the tightened underlying tissue, all under local aesthesia. This procedure can provide minimal incisions, bruising, and swelling and faster recovery. However, it generally does not provide a long-term fix, offers only modest improvements, and does not remove excess tissue or skin.
Another procedure known as the nonsurgical facelift procedure was developed as an alternative to invasive surgery. The nonsurgical facelift procedure can involve externally applying electromagnetic energy, such as radio-frequency energy, or ultrasonic energy to the skin, thereby stimulating the skin to tighten on its own. This procedure can reduce wrinkles and allows the patient to recover in merely a day. However, it generally only works for a patient with modest skin laxity or wrinkles and can take as long as 6 months for the skin to tighten enough to see noticeable improvement.
Another procedure known as an open neck lift procedure was developed to target the neck area, either alone or in combination with the face. The open neck lift procedure can involve making a large incision under the chin and a smaller incision behind the ear; elevating the skin from the underlying tissue; tightening the underlying tissue in the neck with sutures; removing excess tissue and/or fat in the neck; inserting interlocking sutures in the neck midline area and behind the ear to pull up and further tighten the neck muscles; redraping the skin over the tightened underlying tissue; and resecting any excess redraped skin. However, the open neck lift procedure has similar concerns as the standard facelift procedure.
Accordingly, there is a need for a procedure that overcomes the shortcomings of existing procedures and provides an improved and longer lasting rejuvenating effect.